Israel: 70th Anniversary

Joel 3:1-14

Under PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Leadership
Modern Israel Has Become Conservative​ and Prosperous

4-16-18, Joseph Puder* --  With all the glory attached to Israel's seventieth anniversary, there are also sets of precedents that require caution and good judgment. The number 70 has meaningful commutations in Jewish tradition.  It recalls the 70-year Babylonian Exile that led to the start of the Second Jewish Commonwealth in 530 BC.  The return to the Land of Israel occurred through the Charter given by the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great, allowing Jews who wished to return to “Jerusalem that is in Judah” and build a “House for the God of Heaven” to do so.  Some have compared the US President Trump to king Cyrus. Similarly, in 1948 the former US President Harry Truman was told he would become another King Cyrus for Jews everywhere.

In appx 520 BC King Zerubbabel, a descendent of King David, led the first wave of returnees to Jerusalem.  The second wave come with the Scribe Ezra (book of Ezra in the third portion of the Hebrew Bible called Ketuvim).  The third stage of mass return to the land occurred with Nehemiah, a high official in the Persian Empire administration. 

Arabs settled in the Land of Israel following the deportation of the Jews (most but not all) by the Romans in the aftermath of the Jewish rebellion, which ended in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. 

The name Palestine had nothing to do with Arab-Palestinians of today.  It was named after the Philistines, people related to the Greeks who originally invaded the coastal cities of Israel from the Aegean Sea. By the time the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, no traces were left of the Philistines. 

Under the Arab conquerors and the Ottoman Turkish rule (1516-1918), and especially during the British Mandate (1918-1948), many Arabs from neighboring states settled in the so called Palestine, propelled by industry and jobs created by Jewish pioneers. [..snip]

In recent decades, Israel as a nation has become largely conservative. Under PM Netanyahu, Israel turned away from its socialist past and adopted capitalism; that, coupled with incentivizing risk-taking, created innovation and prosperity not seen before. The current unemployment rate in Israel (April 2018) is 3.8%.  Israel has a far higher employment rate than the average European Union or even the U.S., at 64%.  Israel’s innovations in bio-technology, agriculture, medicine, to name but a few sectors, are incredible.  Israeli companies are second only to the U.S. in trading on the U.S. stock markets.

Israel, in 2018, is a stronger state militarily as well in relation to its regional enemies.  Moreover, the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East region as a whole, has brought the Gulf Arabs and Saudi Arabia in particular, to recognize Israel as an “ally” of sorts.  Iran is seen by them as an existential threat, and it is likewise for Israel.  Egypt’s economic weakness has impacted on its potential threat to Israel.  Cairo, much like Riyadh, views Iran and its agent Hezbollah as a greater threat than Israel.  Israel’s military is now larger in manpower, better equipped than ever before, and still highly motivated.  ​*Excerpted full original message here

Joel 3:1 KJV
The Lord Judges the Nations
1"For behold, in those days and at that time,When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.… New American Standard Bible
See Parallel verses here